Eminem is going head to head with his alter-ego Slim Shady in a new video, thanks to the advancements of AI.
Published on Tuesday (July 30) as part of his cover story with Complex, a calm, bearded Marshall Mathers debates the bleached-blonde, clean-shaven version of himself that was first introduced to the masses at the end of the 1990s.
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Of course, this is a much more polarizing and raunchy version than the subdued Eminem we see today, and the video showcases a hilarious back and forth that covers an array of subjects, including his multiple references to the late Christopher Reeve.
Slim thinks it’s funny that the man played Superman and then fell off a horse, while Em doesn’t find the humor in tragedy. He also didn’t find a need to punch down at other people for just living their lives — Caitlyn Jenner is a particular target of Slim’s ire.
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They also discussed his beef with MGK (sort of), and the need to hit particular subjects — or targets — over others.
“Everything that people think of when they think of Eminem is fucking yours truly,” Slim said. “From the blonde hair to the middle finger to the fucking jokes — all of it, me. And if we’re being honest, the music that you’ve been dropping since I bounced ain’t it. Look man, nobody gives a fuck about your lyrical miracles. You’re scaring the hoes! People wanna be entertained.”
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Em replied: “So you think it’s entertaining to just be a dickhead and piss people off? Every other week on TikTok, Gen Z discovers you on Monday and cancels me on Tuesday. When’s the last time you took a shot at someone who wasn’t a pop star, a non-rapping celebrity, fucking marginalized communities?”
According to TMZ, the clip was done in collaboration with A.I. firm Metaphysics, which is the same company behind Eminem’s recent “Houdini” video.
The video, written by Em and Complex‘s Chief Content Office Noah Callahan-Bever, is part of the rollout for his latest album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). The album just topped the Billboard 200 with the biggest sales week of 2024 in Hip Hop.
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Debuting atop the chart with 281,000 equivalent album-units last month, Em’s 12th LP finally knocked off Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department after an unbroken 12-week stint at No. 1, per Billboard.
The Death of Slim Shady‘s first-week sales make it the biggest rap debut of 2024, eclipsing Future and Metro Boomin‘s previous benchmark of 251,000 units sold with We Don’t Trust You.
Eminem’s latest offering also had the second biggest digital launch of the year with 114,000 sales equivalent units, second only to Swift’s 274,000. The Death of Slim Shady does not have a physical release until September 13.
The album was originally projected to earn between 270,000 and 290,000 album-equivalent units in its opening week, so it landed right in the middle of this estimate.
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The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is Em’s 11th No. 1 album, putting him level with Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand. Only Drake (13), Swift (14), JAY-Z (also 14) and The Beatles (19) have more.
The album also had a bigger opening week than Slim Shady’s previous album, 2020’s Music to be Murdered By (279,000), as well as 2017’s Revival (267,000).
